Incomplete
by ZoneRobotnik
Summary: Valerie has noticed that Dan Phantom always avoids involving the cemetery in their battles. Is there a special reason? Time to investigate! (In case you don't know, this has mention of character death. No longer a one-shot.)
1. I

**I know that you guys are waiting for me to update my fanfics, but my baby boy has been sucking on my muse and I haven't been able to get much out. This is something that I played out and decided to write down before I forgot it. I'll try to get enough inspiration for my fanfics soon. ~ Zone**

**Inspired by Backstreet Boys' "Incomplete".**  
><strong>Don't own Danny Phantom, I just wrote this story.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Incomplete<strong>

"Is that the best you got?!" A male voice taunted above the city of Amity Park. "I think you're getting slow in your old age, Valerie!"

"I'm only in my twenties, Phantom!" The woman retorted, firing her gun at the black and white ghost ahead of her.

"Oh, my bad. It must be that heavy human body of yours, then." Dan Phantom smirked as he swerved to dodge her blast, firing back one of his own.

Their battles were almost a daily occurrence by now, and they flew over the entire city during them. The general populace had fled underground, leaving the city empty for them to battle in.

Valerie fired a blast at Phantom, but this time he didn't dodge. He just turned and formed a shield that ricocheted the blast back at her before he flew in a completely different direction.

"What in the…?" Valerie looked at where she would've hit if he'd dodged and saw the Amity Park cemetery. She vaguely recalled how in all their other battles, he had avoided the cemetery being hit as well.

**.**

After the battle, with Dan Phantom heading back to lick his wounds, Valerie headed back to her own home and halted when she passed the cemetery. "Okay…" She murmured. "Why would a _ghost_ like _him _care about a grave-site?" She turned and flew into the cemetery, getting off her jet-ski at the gates and walking in, her boots making soft thumping noises against the cobblestone path.

She walked through, scanning the area with her eyes, and paused when she saw an envelope resting against a well-tended grave. All the graves around it were unkempt, but this one looked like it had been scrubbed clean of any dirt. Curious, she walked into the grass and approached it, kneeling to look at the envelope.

"No name." She murmured, picking it up and looking it over. Curiosity getting to her, she set down her gun and opened the envelope, pulling out a folded letter inside.

_It's been eight years, Fenton…_

She paused and glanced up at the name on the headstone. **Danny Fenton** stared back at her in carved letters, and she swallowed back the tears as she recalled the day Mr. Masters had brought young Danny Fenton's body back to Amity Park so he could be buried with his family. He looked so peaceful, already cleaned up and preserved for the funeral…

She shook her head and looked back at the letter, silently mouthing the words as she read.

_I've been really putting this off…this letter. Even if it's stupid, even if you won't – can't – ever read it…I think that some things need to be said._

_First of all, I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I can't ever write how sorry I feel, how __**lonely**__ I feel, since you…since I ki—_

_It was a stupid mistake, done by a stupid kid. I was just so…so angry. I'm sorry. I wish I could take it all back._

_You were the only one who ever understood me, who never aimed a gun at me, who accepted all my faults and embraced me despite them. You were the only one who looked at me as more than just "the ghost boy". You knew me best, foremost, and I thought I knew you the same. You are – were – my other half. And nothing – no one – can replace you as that._

Valerie noticed the letter was growing stained with something wet at this point, and the handwriting was shaky. Should she dare to read on, find out who this mystery writer was – though she had a feeling she already knew.

_You always stood by me, and I should have done the same for you. I remember when we first split, we were still inseparable. Did you notice, Fenton, that when you slept I would come by your window in the middle of what I was doing just to make sure you were okay? No, I doubt you did. You were never that observant._

_We never split again after that day. Not until he convinced you—no._

_I can point fingers all I want, but the fact was that you were in pain – we both were – and you just wanted to escape it all. It was because of my powers that you were able to…_

_It's not important. You know, so why would I even bother writing it. For some sense of closure? Yeah, right._

The paper ran out of space, so Valerie flipped it over to look at the one stapled to it.

_You always, __**always**__ stood by me. You spoke up in my defense, you sabotaged your parents' efforts to kill me, and you actually loved me in ways that no one else ever has – or will – love me again. Maybe that was why I was so shocked when you let him…when you left me._

_I didn't see it then, but I do now. I could've stayed by your side; I didn't have to be one with you to be there for you. You could've had your life, and I could've been there anyway, beside you._

_I was just so angry…_

_A stupid mistake by a stupid kid. _

_I tried to replace you, but now I know I never can. It's not the same, this…this merging. It's just not the same. I still feel so alone, so empty, so…so cold._

_I miss your heart beating beside my core._

_I miss the feel of your breath slipping through my lips._

_I miss the touch of skin, warm skin that blood – not ectoplasm – ran through the veins of._

_The world treated you badly, and when things mattered most I did the worst damage to you._

_That's why I can't…I can't even go near your grave without my anger fizzing out. You were always my common sense, and now I've lost you. I don't know who I am, or where I'm going anymore._

_I miss you. I miss you, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I lost you, that I hurt you, and I wish I could take it all back._

_If it would bring you back, I will fade out._

_I've travelled the world, but I can't find anything that could bring a human back._

_Because that's what you were. A human. __**My**__ human. My other half._

_I've tried to go on like I never knew you, but it's impossible. I can't replace you, even Valerie's fire isn't the same._

_I'm awake, but my world is half-asleep – it's still frozen in the memory of that day._

_I pray – I know, __**me praying**__ – for the feel of your unbroken, beating heart._

_'__Cause, let's face it…without you, I'm just…_

_Incomplete._

_Look at me, writing a letter like you're actually gonna read it. I must be going crazy. I've just…completely lost my half of our mind._

Valerie stared silently at the sketched insignia at the bottom of the letter before she folded it and put the envelope back down.

"I wish you were here, so I could ask you about this." She murmured, looking at the name on the gravestone. "Look at me, now I'm the crazy one. Talking to a grave." She got up and started to walk back to the path.

"…Not crazy…" A soft voice whispered faintly, almost missed if not for the silence. She turned to the grave, but saw nothing.

"…Yeah. Time to head back home and go to sleep, Val." She shook her head, walking out of the cemetery and getting on her jet-ski. "Hearing dead kids in the wind is NOT a sign of good health."

She flew into the air and took one last look at the grave before speeding off towards home.

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><p><strong>Just a bit of guilt and sorrow in one of his "moments of weakness". Valerie really shouldn't be reading other people's mail, though. Don't do that, kids.<br>Did Valerie really hear Danny's ghost? Or did she just think that she did, and there's really nothing there? What do you think? ~ Zone  
><strong>


	2. II

**This was supposed to be a one-shot, guys, but apparently you all want to know the actual answer to the question. So, you get another chapter! ~ Zone  
><strong>

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><p><strong><span>II<span>**

Valerie tossed and turned in her bed, images of years long past invading her dreams. The battle against Pariah Dark…oh God, his smile…that was when she first realized she loved Danny Fenton. He was always so worried about her, so gentle, so caring…

But where did he go? He disappeared for a while after she failed to take the suit out and fight, Phantom going in her place. He was brought in later by Mr. Masters, beaten and bloody. Oh, she worried so much for him!

The letter had implied some kind of intimate connection between Fenton and Phantom, something deeper than brotherly, deeper than love, even. Deciding she wouldn't going to get any answers stewing over her dreams, she forced herself out of bed and dressed for going outside.

As she stepped out of her bedroom, she paused to look at the one room that hadn't been touched in the old Fenton home – Danny's room. It probably held so many answers, but it felt like entering a mausoleum just opening the blue-painted door. Maybe today…she could bear it? She looked towards the master bedroom where her father slept and reached out to grip the doorknob of the room that had been so silent for eight years.

The door opened with a soft creak, the hallway light shining into the room. Space-themed posters and bedding met her eyes, and as she turned her gaze to look around the room she saw all the evidence of a child who had had a big dream…and it had all been cut short. She knew his grades were poor, he wouldn't have been able to do it anyway, but it was still painful thinking of how he'd lost even the chance to try.

And to what? A mistake done by Phantom? She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped in further, approaching the dust-covered shelves and dresser, looking around her as she walked.

The bed was unmade, like it must've been left the day he'd lost his parents and sister to a freak explosion at the Nasty Burger. She reached out to make it, but stopped and pulled her hand away. Changing it in any way from how it was when he was alive seemed…wrong. Even just being here, kicking up the dust that had built up over eight years, seemed wrong.

Model rockets and spaceships sat scattered on the floor or shelves, some of them bent out of shape by something and then re-bent back into shape and taped into place by hands desperate to repair the damage done to them. She reached out to touch one, but once again pulled her hand back. She couldn't touch it; it wasn't hers to mess with.

She noticed something poking out from under the bed and knelt to pull it out fully. A blood-stained first-aid kit came out, and when she opened it she found most of the bandages and wipes used up, a small sewing kit tucked inside. Whose blood was this? Danny's? She saw red fingerprints, but also green smears on the top of it.

Green – like ectoplasm. Dan Phantom had been in this room, this very spot maybe, with Danny eight years ago. She closed the kit and slid it back under the bed, slowly getting up. Danny Fenton and Phantom…what was their connection? Sure they shared the same first name, but that was just a coincidence…wasn't it?

Entering the room had given her more question than she'd first started with. She approached a shelf and pulled out a binder. It had "Danny Fenton's, don't touch!" and "Warning: Angry son and/or brother if this is opened by anyone but Danny Fenton!" written on the front, with an angry face scrawled on the front. Well, she'd already read Phantom's private letter – may as well invade Danny's privacy, too.

She opened the binder and her eyes widened. Inside were pictures and newspaper clippings, all of them involving Phantom in some way. There was a picture with Phantom, Sam and Tucker all hanging out, taken in selfie fashion by Phantom from the looks of it. Then there was a picture of Danny and Phantom, taken from the side by someone else, standing side-by-side and watching something sink into the water. Danny was wearing a ridiculous outfit she'd never seen him wear before, and Phantom had some kind of cape around his shoulders. (Well, she knew he liked capes _now_, but she'd never seen him use one in the past.)

Her vision blurred a bit and she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve before continuing on. There were little journal entries written on scratch paper, but not what you'd expect. They seemed to be less about his personal life, and more making note of something that went wrong in a ghost battle and comments on how to prevent it next time. It seemed that Danny was as heavily involved in Phantom's, er, "career" as Phantom himself was.

More pictures, many of them with Sam, Tucker, and Phantom, or Sam, Tucker, and Danny. But she only ever saw Danny and Phantom in one picture that one time, and couldn't help but think about Phantom's enigmatic letter again.

The binder reached its end with a picture taken from a distance of Phantom in the suit battling Pariah Dark. Danny and his two friends had been so heavily involved in Phantom's battles, and she never knew. She didn't know anything. The "unpopular trio" had been using first-aid kits to treat wounds and lying about where they had been – all to help Phantom. But, why? He was a ghost, and they were human! Why would they want so badly to help him?

She closed the scrapbook and put it back, stepping back from the shelf and running her hands through her hair as she tried to make sense of it all. Phantom's letter…that binder…the first-aid kit…Danny's connection to Phantom…it didn't make sense, none of it, and the only two people who could make sense of it were dead or, well, she was trying to kill him for the murder of thousands.

Valerie left the bedroom and closed the door, going to the bathroom to wash dust off her hands. She had thought she'd heard Danny in the cemetery…was that just a trick of the mind? Or was Danny Fenton actually a ghost, haunting his own grave instead of going to the Ghost Zone like all the others?

**.**

"This is stupid." She mumbled as she flew over the silent city of Amity Park. "As if he would actually be there. Wouldn't Phantom know if he was? I'm going out into the cold for nothing." She spotted the cemetery and flew over, hopping off the jet-ski and checking her bracelet for any sign of Phantom. It wasn't reading him, not even a little, and she nodded firmly before stepping into the cemetery proper, activating a flashlight on her bracelet to navigate.

Her footsteps seemed too loud in the dark silence, and if it wasn't so wet she would be tempted to remove her boots so she wouldn't disturb the silence. She walked on the path until she saw the letter resting against the grave and then walked into the grass, turning off the light on her bracelet.

"Don't know why I came back here." She mumbled, kneeling in front of the grave again. "I don't even visit my mother's grave this often, and here I am visiting yours for the second time in one day."

The moon came out from behind the clouds, lighting up the letters and numbers on the grave.

**Danny Fenton  
>1991-2005<br>May he finally have peace**

The inscription had been paid for by Vlad Masters, and she'd always thought that it was talking about how he was bullied all the time. But, now that she knew what she did, she couldn't help but imagine Danny laughing with his friends and Phantom after a tough ghost fight, maybe high-fives were exchanged before the trio went to the Nasty Burger and Phantom went…where did he go, anyway? Back to the Ghost Zone? What did she even know about Phantom? Nothing.

She'd first met Phantom when he'd been with a ghost dog that was wrecking her life again and again. That was the day she swore to get even with him, and why she became the Red Huntress – paid for by Vlad Masters, interestingly enough. How much of Phantom did he know, and did he know about Danny being involved with him?

"I doubt Mr. Masters would tell me if he did know anything." She said to herself, sighing. "He's been pretty tight-lipped since your death."

"He's _been_ tight-lipped."

There it was again, that soft, faint voice. She looked around, but saw nothing. She listened for it to say something again, but nothing. But it had just echoed what she'd said, hadn't it? Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks. She decided to try saying something else.

"He probably knows the most about Phantom, but isn't saying anything for some reason." She reasoned to herself.

"For some reason."

There it was again. She frowned and got up, using on the flashlight on her bracelet again. She turned this way and that, scanning the area for anyone that could be in the cemetery with her. "Okay, if you're some brat that's messing with me, I'm not going to be happy." She said firmly. "Come out!"

No answer, not even a shifting of grass. She looked behind the grave, but found nothing. Sighing, she turned off the light again and knelt in front of the grave. "This letter is just going to get soaked if I leave it here…" She mumbled, picking it up. "I doubt he'll care if it was moved."

"He'll care."

She looked around again, her eyes narrowing, and then she put the letter into her suit pocket to take home. "Phantom? Is that you?" She asked, checking the scanner again. No sign of him, but he HAD been known to come out of nowhere…

She got up and pulled out her gun, turning on the night-vision on her helmet as she turned around. "If that's you, then come out and talk to me like a sane person!" She said firmly. "Stop it with these copy-cat games!"

"You'd have to be sane to talk like a sane person."

She stopped and looked back at the grave. That wasn't just copying; it was a full, non-prompted sentence in response to her. Okay, so it was a clever quip about Phantom's sanity, but still…

Was this Danny? Or just some other ghost messing with her? She holstered her gun and turned to the headstone silently, daring it to talk again without her saying anything. It didn't, remaining silent as the stone it was carved from.

"…If you're a ghost, then come out. I won't shoot you." She coaxed, stepping closer to it. "You're not doing anything dangerous, just…mildly annoying. So why don't you come out of hiding and we'll talk?"

No sign of anything coming out, not even an answer in words. She sighed and turned away. "Alright, fine. But don't cause any trouble. Stay in the cemetery or go to the Ghost Zone." She headed back to the path. "Whether he'll care or not, I'm taking the letter. It's the only sign of remorse from him that I've seen in eight years."

She expected a reply, but when she listened closely she didn't hear anything. She sighed and headed back to the gates, preparing to leave. She powered up her jet-ski and hopped on, taking one last look at the grave. Was it a trick of the moonlight, or did she see it glowing a little? When she flew over to investigate, it wasn't glowing and saw no sign of a ghost near it.

"Alright, fine. If you're going to be stubborn, I'll just have to keep visiting until you show up." She told it, flying off. She glanced back at it, hoping to see it glowing again, but saw nothing.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Maybe she had been talking to herself the whole time, and there was never any voice at all. Maybe she just WANTED Danny to be there, so she'd get some concrete answers.

Guh, she hated not knowing if she was losing her mind or not!

* * *

><p><strong>What!? This was supposed to be when we found out for sure! Now we've got more questions?! Guh, Danny! Are you a ghost or just a figment of Valerie's imagination?! You're turning a one-shot into a full-length fic, you brat! We're not supposed to be dealing with your brattiness for another two years! ~ Zone<br>**


	3. III

**Alright, here we go! Chapter three, we've gotta get an answer to our question now!  
>Is Danny a ghost or a figment of her imagination? Let's find out! ~ Zone <strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>III<span>**

"Valerie, you look exhausted!" Damon Gray commented as he watched his daughter come down to breakfast. "You didn't look this tired after the battle!"

"I thought I detected trouble last night, but it turned out to be nothing. I spent hours on a wild goose chase." Valerie went to grab a box of cereal and a bowl, pouring herself some breakfast.

"Phantom trouble?" Damon asked. "Valerie, could you pour me a bowl, too? I got so wrapped up in this…" He gestured his remaining arm to the laptop he was working on. "Trying to make a new shield, one Phantom can't get through."

"Okay, daddy." She grabbed another bowl and poured him some cereal before getting out the milk and filling both. "You'll have to take a break from your work, though." She set it down with a spoon in front of him, scooting the laptop to the middle of the table.

"I need a break, anyway." He picked up the spoon. "So, how did you sleep?"

"Horribly." She shook her head. "Daddy, I…I went into Danny's room last night."

Damon pursed his lips. It had been Valerie who insisted they not touch the room, even for cleaning up, so if anyone was going to change that rule it would have to be her. "And?"

"And…I think he had a lot of secrets that he never told me." She said quietly.

Damon sighed, setting his spoon into his bowl. "Valerie, he was fourteen. The age that boys start hiding dirty magazines under their beds and sneaking into adult movies or peeking into the girls' locker room. I'm pretty sure that he didn't have any secrets worse than that."

Silently, Valerie pulled out the letter and opened it, setting it on the table. "I found this at Danny's grave yesterday."

Damon frowned, picking it up and silently reading it. "What is this…?" He said, lowering it and looking at her.

"A letter from Phantom to Danny Fenton." Valerie said lamely, as if the letter didn't explain that itself. "And in Danny's room, I found pictures of Phantom and a blood-stained first-aid kit and…" She clenched her fists, staring at her cereal. "I just can't make sense of it. And I'm hearing voices in the cemetery. Daddy, am I losing my mind?"

Damon sighed and set down the letter, picking up his spoon again. "Valerie, I think that I can't give you all the answers. You have to figure this stuff out for yourself." He looked at her sternly. "Who do you think could give you the answers you seek?"

"Mr. Masters is out of town…" Valerie pursed her lips. "Phantom wouldn't tell me anything, I'm sure. And Danny…"

"May not be as gone as we thought." Damon nodded. "You should go there again, find out for sure. If you have to, take one of the ghost-scanners with you. The one you have right now is keyed to Phantom's signature only, but if there's another ghost around…"

"I understand." She nodded, and continued eating. "I'll go after I do a quick patrol of the city."

"It's been eight years, though. You'd think that people would have noticed a ghost in the cemetery by now." Damon commented as he ate.

Valerie nodded, looking thoughtful.

**.**

"Well, I've got the scanner." She muttered she flew off from home. "I guess I'll find out for sure if he's a ghost or a figment."

Her Phantom scanner started going off, and she let out an annoyed groan. "I thought I kicked his butt enough to have him stay away for a week!" She muttered, flying off towards his location. As she got closer, she realized where it was and checked the other scanner. No sign of a ghost, aside from the annoying one. But why would Phantom be in the cemetery again?

She landed outside the gates and cautiously entered the cemetery, her hand on her gun as she walked.

"Where is it? I put it here, didn't I?" She heard Phantom muttering. He still looked worn out from the last battle, his suit torn and a wound still healing on his side. "Where is it?"

"What are you looking for, Phantom?" She asked, stopping on the path and turning towards Danny's grave, where the ghost was clawing at the grass around it.

"None of your business, Huntress." He said shortly. "I know I put it here…"

"Are you looking for that letter?" Valerie asked.

He froze, his body tensing and his hands clenching into fists. "You…know about it?" He said coldly.

"I read it." She confessed. "It was a letter to Danny, wasn't it?"

He got up and turned to her, his eyes flaring. "Where is it, then?!" He snapped.

"It's safe; which is more than could be said for if you'd just left it there. Someone could've taken it and used it for fuel for fire, or the rain could've ruined it." She said firmly.

Phantom narrowed his eyes, stepping towards her. "Give it to me. You have it on you, don't you?" He asked coolly.

"No, I don't. I told you, I put it where it would be safe." She stood her ground, even as he advanced on her with a venomous expression. "Where everything else about you two has been hiding away for eight years."

Phantom growled. "Give it back." He said, stepping closer to her, his cape moving in the wind behind him. "It's not yours. Give it BACK."

"It's where it belongs, with the rest of Danny's stuff. No one will hurt it, or read it – aside from me, that is." Valerie frowned. "What did you mean by the things you wrote? What were you to Danny, Phantom?"

"Shut up!" He snapped, shooting out an arm. Alarmed, she tried to block it but he caught her around the throat before she could. "Shut up! Don't you DARE say his name! Just shut up! You didn't know him! You didn't know anything! You were just one of the humans who ridiculed him on a daily basis! It's sickening how many of you professed to know him at his funeral, when you knew NOTHING!" He tightened his grip. "Even the old man…he didn't REALLY know him!"

"Ngh—Phan—let—" Valerie tried to pry his hand away with both hands, not even trying to get her gun – he'd just knock it away or grab her hand before she could.

"You don't know anything!" Phantom cried, his gaze hardened. "You don't know anything about me, about him, about anything! You don't know anything! You—"

"Don't." A soft voice spoke, interrupting Phantom's rant.

Phantom froze. Valerie's eyes widened. And then she was hitting the ground as Phantom roughly released her, flying in the air as he looked around frantically. Valerie looked at the other scanner, frowning. Why wasn't it picking up any other ghost? She'd definitely heard him, and so had Phantom from his expression.

Valerie pushed herself to her feet, massaging her neck. "Danny…?" She asked, looking at the grave. In the daylight, it was hard to tell if it was glowing or not. She didn't get any response, not in words, but as she stepped closer and Dan Phantom moved to attack her again, a cold wind moved between them and pushed them apart, Phantom into the sky and Valerie into almost stumbling on someone's grave. "Danny, is that you or not?!" She demanded, looking at the silent grave.

"It can't be him." Phantom muttered, shaking his head. "It's impossible, _I'm_…" He held his head. "It's impossible!"

"Phantom?" Valerie looked at him. Was she finally going to get some answers?

"You can't be real! You can't be!" Phantom cried. "It's impossible! You're not real!"

"Phan—" Valerie was about to speak, but Phantom shot an ecto-blast at her and she fell to the grass, the ghost retreating into the sky desperately, as if running from something. "Phantom! Where are you going?!" She called, pushing herself to her feet. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

She saw him speed off in a beam of light and sighed, checking the other scanner. Still no sign of a ghost, but then what had pushed them apart? It was definitely not a figment of her imagination, that was for sure!

"Danny…" She looked at the grave. "If this is you…give me some kind of sign."

There was only silence. She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes. "Danny…" She murmured. "I know it's you…who else could it be? Why even do anything, if you're not going to show yourself?"

"Rules."

She gasped and turned to the grave. "…Rules?"

"Not s'pposed to be seen…but it's not your time yet." She heard the voice say softly. "Had to save you. Not your time."

"Please, show me something?" She pleaded, walking over to the grave.

"…Can't show you my face."

"Anything will do." She nodded.

"…Okay."

She gasped as she saw a small black-cloaked figure sitting on top of the headstone, a scythe strapped to his back. "…Danny?"

"Ghosts…aren't all that's after death." He said carefully. "You can choose…something else."

She reached out to him and he quickly hopped off the headstone, hovering in the air for a bit before landing on another headstone. "Have you been here this whole time?"

"…No." He shook his head, his face obscured by the black hood. She could see the familiar black bangs poking out the edge of the hood, but nothing else. "I have a job, after all."

"You're a little young to have a job, aren't you?" Valerie said pleasantly.

"There are younger." He said calmly. "Anyways, I'd be an adult by now…if I was still alive." He turned to look to the side. "That letter…"

"Did you ever read it?" Valerie asked.

He shook his head. "Not…allowed to touch material objects unless it's to do my job."

"Do you want to?" Valerie asked.

He didn't do anything at first, then nodded. Valerie nodded and walked over to him. "Okay, then why don't you come with me?" She suggested.

Danny hopped off the headstone, hovering in the air. "I'm not supposed to be seen…" He said nervously. "If they knew…Clockwork might be angry…" He moved a black-gloved hand up, rubbing the back of his neck under the hood. "I-I'll…ask." He looked at her, lowering his hand. "They might…allow it. If I ask first."

"How long will that take?" Valerie asked, looking up at him. She could see black boots poking out under the cloak, was he only wearing black?

"Dunno. I'll…tell you when I have an answer. For now, try to avoid the cemetery. If it's okay, I'll come to my old room." He told her. "Don't wait up for me, though. They…might say no." He started to fade out of view.

"Wait." Valerie spoke up, watching him fade. "Before you go…have you always been watching over me?"

"…Not just you. I just do my job." Danny replied. "Goodbye, Valerie."

Valerie sighed, watching him finally disappear entirely from view. "…I didn't ask him anything about his connection to Phantom." She groaned, shaking her head. "Well, hopefully he'll tell me when he comes back." She headed for the gates of the cemetery.

* * *

><p><strong>...Oh, you little *car honks*. We thought you were a ghost or a figment, but you turned out to be a freakin' GRIM REAPER?! Obviously you took into account what happened in my fanfic "Final Threshold" and decided to be a Grim Reaper after death, after all...<br>And we're STILL not done yet?! This was supposed to be a ONE-SHOT! ~ Zone  
><strong>


	4. IV

**So, last we saw Danny revealed himself as a Grim Reaper and that's why he never showed up on any scanners and why Phantom couldn't sense him with his ghost-sense. He's now gone to ask Clockwork if he can read Phantom's letter to him, but we all know how red-tape-y Clockwork can be. *sighs* ~ Zone**

* * *

><p><strong><span>IV<span>**

Finding out that Danny was some kind of Grim Reaper hadn't given her any answers, but it at least told her why the scanner never detected him. She took off the scanner when she got home and went to her room, flopping down onto her bed. "Guh, so tired…" She mumbled.

Phantom had been downright frantic when she'd seen him. Why was he so anxious to find the letter, if he had already put it where he'd intended? Had he changed his mind? She sighed and reached up to rub at her neck, where the suit no doubt concealed a few bruises. "Hopefully Danny gets back to me soon…" She grumbled, staring at the wall that separated her room and Danny's.

This room used to belong to his sister, before the accident. Valerie had to wonder, did she know anything about her brother's…secrets? She sat up and went to the desk, opening a drawer. Jazz's diary came into view inside the drawer, and Valerie reached for it before staying her hand. "…Getting into Danny's privacy is one thing, but I shouldn't mess with Jazz's." She shook her head, pulling her hand back and closing the drawer. "Besides, it might…annoy Danny."

She walked to the window and looked out it, sighing. She'd almost expected to come home to find the house in shambles by Dan Phantom's hand, but he'd completely disappeared after hearing Danny's voice.

_It can't be real! It's impossible, __**I'm...**_

What had he meant by that? Valerie groaned, running her hands through her curls aggressively. "More riddles…when am I finally going to get **answers**?" She turned away from the window, closing her eyes. "Danny…why are you such a…such a frustrating enigma? _Both_ of you…"

**.**

Dan Phantom curled up in the damaged apartment he'd been calling "home", trying to just hide away from the world. He'd heard a voice he couldn't have, a voice that he'd snuffed out eight years ago. And that wind…was Danny protecting Valerie? Or was it just his imagination? "Fenton…" He whispered, his crimson eyes closing in frustration. "How is this possible? You can't be a ghost…I'M your ghost. You can't be…"

He wrapped his arms around his sides, rocking in place as he curled up tighter against the wall. "This is impossible…you can't be a ghost…and anyway, you didn't FEEL like a ghost…so what ARE you?" He whispered. "How are you still here? _Why_ are you here, when _I killed you in Wisconsin_?"

This had to be some sick joke someone was playing on him. "Clockwork…?" He whispered, his eyes opening. "It has to be him…no one else could. Clockwork did something, I know it! He's trying to get at me again, tear down my walls, and make me weak! That has to be it!" He shook his head. "Clockwork, why won't you just _leave me alone_?!" He yelled, looking up at the ceiling.

He received only silence in reply, and he banged his fists on the wall in irritation. "Danny…" He dug his claws into the wall, dragging them down a bit. "I tore out your heart…so why do I still hear it beating when I say your name? Danny…Danny…Danny…" He pulled his claws from the wall and curled up again, closing his eyes tightly. "Using Danny against me…Clockwork, you…" He clenched his teeth, his eyes flaring in anger.

**.**

Valerie kept checking Danny's room for any sign of the young Reaper. After a week had passed and no sign, she finally decided to leave it alone for a while. "He DID say not to wait up…" She mumbled, closing the door behind her and heading down to get some breakfast before going on patrol.

"No sign of him today either?" Damon asked pleasantly as he read the paper. "Are you sure you didn't imagine it, Valerie?"

"I know what I saw and heard, daddy." Valerie frowned. "He IS real! He's just…taking his time." She glanced away, pouting.

Damon sighed, looking at his daughter from over his paper. He had doubted the whole "Danny is a Grim Reaper" story from the start, but Valerie was set on it being the truth. Ever since she'd found that letter, she had been almost obsessed with the dead kid, and this just wasn't healthy. "Valerie." He stood up, setting down the paper. "If he doesn't show soon, you'll have to accept that you must've dreamt it and move on. Our people need us to stay focused. Ghosts, especially Phantom, could attack at any moment. Even if you didn't dream it, what if it was an illusion?"

"An illusion that sent Dan Phantom running away screaming?" Valerie raised an eyebrow. "It is him, I know it is. He's just…still getting permission." She sighed, looking to the side.

Damon sighed, shaking his head. "This isn't healthy for you, Valerie. Think about something else besides Danny Fenton." He walked out of the room. "The boy's been dead for eight years…you should be over him by now."

Valerie pursed her lips and grabbed a bowl of cereal, not wanting to get in an argument about it. She HAD gotten over him, but seeing his name and hearing his voice just brought back so many memories…

**.**

Valerie took care of a few weaker ghosts and sighed, watching them escape into portals in terror. She hadn't seen Dan Phantom all week, but surely he had recovered by now? She never realized how bored she got when he wasn't causing trouble.

"I should be _happy_ he's gone." She muttered, shaking her head. The sound of the Phantom scanner going off caught her attention and she got up from the park bench she'd been sitting on, taking off to find him.

Her path took her back to cemetery, and she faltered. Last time they'd been there together, he had attacked her. What if Danny wasn't there this time? Well, she wasn't armed for nothing! She landed outside the cemetery gates and walked in.

She found him in front of Danny's grave again, looking much better than he did a week ago. She stayed her distance this time, choosing to observe rather than confront him. Phantom was standing in front of the headstone, seemed to be waiting for something. She heard him start to say something and listened closer, frowning.

"It's impossible…but, this is Clockwork we're dealing with. For all I know, he took you from another timeline to toy with me. But, I can't sense you...so you're not a ghost. What are you? You can't be my Danny. Not mine! He's dead, gone, completely erased from existence!" Phantom laughed a bit. "So, what are you? Who are you, really?! And why won't you show me your face?!"

"He's not there, Phantom." She spoke up. "He's getting permission to do something with me. And that IS Danny."

"That's impossible." Phantom sneered, looking at her. "He can't be a ghost, because it's impossible!"

"He's not a ghost, he's a Grim Reaper." Valerie said calmly, then frowned. "And…why is it impossible for him to be a ghost?"

"Oh, please." He shook his head. "You read the damn letter and you don't even know?! I thought you were smarter than that, Valerie!"

Valerie crossed her arms over her chest. "Then _enlighten_ me, Phantom. Prove to me why I'm not as smart as you thought."

He turned to her, smirking. "Are you sure you want to know the truth, Val? It'll shock you so hard you'll faint."

"I already know you two had some kind of connection." Valerie waved her hand dismissively.

"Not just a 'connection'." Phantom stepped towards her, smirking. "We were closer than you would ever believe. Closer than you and him could've EVER been." He stopped in front of her and shot out a hand, gripping her chin roughly. "I was inside him, day and night, hearing his thoughts, seeing through his eyes, and feeling his heartbeat!"

"W-What? Let me go!" Valerie smacked his hand away. He let her go, laughing. "What do you mean 'inside him'? You overshadowed him?"

"No, idiot!" Phantom laughed. "I WAS him! Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton were one and the same, and only Sam and Tucker knew!"

"Sam and Tucker…?" Valerie breathed, recalling the pictures. "But…it's impossible! How could a human also be a ghost?!"

"Not so impossible as you might think, my dear." Phantom smirked. "All it took was being electrocuted to death in the middle of a ghost portal's activation! He would've been dead LONG ago if it wasn't for me!"

"You're a ghost, this is a lie!" Valerie shook her head, drawing her gun. "You're lying!"

"Am I? And yet when you think about it, this makes so much make sense, doesn't it?" Phantom challenged.

Valerie stepped back. "…Are you saying that when Danny and I were dating, you were…"

"Think of it less as 'Phantom was also dating me', and more as 'I was shooting at my boyfriend'." Phantom smirked. "Though, I'd gladly continue the first part."

"Ew!" Valerie aimed her gun at him. "Don't touch me, ghost!"

"I figured you'd say that!" Phantom laughed heartily. "Anyways, THAT is why Danny can't be a ghost. I'M his ghost! So, it's not possible for Danny's ghost to be lurking around here!"

Valerie took off the safety. "I don't believe you!"

He turned away from her. "It can't be him! Because…if he's been here this whole time…why wait until I put that letter there to show himself?! Why didn't he show himself sooner? It's Clockwork toying with me again, that's all! He can't…he can't be…"

Valerie's eyes widened as she saw the ghost's proud shoulders slump and start to tremble, and then Phantom had fallen to his knees in front of the grave. "Phantom?"

"He's always…always toying with me." He whispered. "But this…this has to be the worst one…"

"Phantom…?" Valerie stepped closer, reaching out to touch his trembling shoulder. To her surprise, he didn't jerk away or even say to stay away. She stepped even closer and holstered her gun, placing her other hand on his back. He was shaking, his head bowed, and she couldn't find it in her to shoot him or even make fun of him for showing her weakness.

Then he shocked her by turning and burying his face in her stomach, one hand on her back and the other around her hips. Valerie sighed and gently wrapped her arms around him, knowing he needed this. Even if she knew Danny was real…or at least _hoped_ he was, Phantom thought that another ghost was toying with him.

And Valerie couldn't help but pity the ghost that clung to her so desperately, torn apart by what he thought was a cruel prank.

* * *

><p><strong>See what you've done, Danny and Clockwork? Now Phantom is crying in Valerie's arms. He's going to be mad at himself later for letting her see him this weak for sure! Danny's sure taking his time, but this IS Clockwork we're talking about. Think he'll let him do it?<br>Man, if present-Danny had gone forward in time to two years earlier than he did...yeesh, the drama!  
>Valerie still has her curls, wonder why she cut 'em? ~ Zone<br>**


	5. V

**Okay, so last chapter Danny just kind of left Valerie waiting. Maybe he'll show up in this one? Or maybe Clockwork is punishing him and won't let hm go back at all, like a meanie-face. :( ~ Zone  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>V<span>**

They both mutually agreed not to discuss what happened in the cemetery that day and by the next month they'd all but forgotten about the whole thing – Valerie had a constant reminder in the letter sitting in on Danny's bedside table. She'd expected Phantom to have come for it by now, but apparently not.

Her father was glad when she finally stopped talking about Danny Fenton and focused on protecting the city and not an eight-years-dead crush. In his opinion, though he'd never say it to Valerie, the whole Fenton family was trouble in life – especially the youngest member – and the only reason he'd come to live here was because Valerie asked for them to. When she pointed out all the anti-ghost weaponry, he'd conceded.

Though he really could do without that portal, which he put a lock on years ago but he was certain some ghosts still managed to slip through.

He was at his laptop again when Valerie came downstairs, running her hands through her freshly-cleaned curls as she went to get breakfast and then go out for the day. Sighing, he looked up at her. "Valerie, I've been thinking…"

"Yeah, daddy?" She looked at him.

"Maybe the reason you were so hung up on that kid is because you haven't tried dating anyone since. I know you're worried about Phantom causing trouble, but maybe you could try one date? One of my coworkers has a son about your age."

"And have to leave in the middle of it?" Valerie shook her head. "You know that stopping Phantom from destroying us keeps my life busy." She poured herself some cereal and started to eat. "I tried the dating scene, dad, two years in. He got pissed off that I kept arriving late and leaving early, and always had a weapon at my side."

"Ouch." Damon cringed. "Well, I'm sure if you tried again…"

"Not until Phantom is gone." She said, continuing to eat.

He sighed, deciding to drop it for now. She finished her food, grabbed her packed lunch, and headed out the door with a kiss to her father's head.

**.**

Dan Phantom had been lurking invisible over the city, watching and waiting. He _could _just terrorize the populace for kicks, but it just wasn't as fun without someone there to tell him off as soon as he started. Shrugging, he became visible as he fired on Casper High, chuckling as students ran out of the building screaming. It was hilarious how quickly they all forgot their "ghost protocols" and never stayed where there was a ghost shield in place!

He saw a man that looked like he couldn't decide which way to run and aimed his hand at him, grinning as a red ecto-blast fired out. Just moments from hitting the man, a signboard flew between the man and the blast, intercepting.

"What?" Phantom growled, looking around for who had interrupted his fun.

"Don't you have other things to be doing? You know, maybe an afterlife to get back to?" Valerie spoke up. Distracted from the signboard, Phantom turned to her with a wolfish grin. "Leave this city alone, Phantom!"

"Aw, but what would be the fun in _that_?" He asked, chuckling. "This city doesn't deserve to live, any more than the others I've destroyed! The only reason it still stands is because _you're_ here! Nice trick with the signboard, by the way."

"Signboard?" Valerie frowned. "What signboard?"

"The one you just threw, to save that pathetic excuse for a lifeform!" Phantom gestured to it. "What, you gonna tell me that wasn't you? So humble, Valerie!" He laughed heartily.

Valerie didn't reply, only looked towards the sign. Phantom's laughter faded and he frowned. "That…WAS you, wasn't it?"

"I just got here." Valerie said. "Someone else threw that signboard just now." She looked at him. "Besides, do I look like I have that kind of strength?"

Phantom clenched his fists. "Then, who interfered with me? You're the _only_ one I'll put up with doing that!"

Valerie looked back at the ruined signboard. "…I think we **both** know the answer to that one."

"…Damn." Phantom looked around. "Well, where is he now?"

"I don't know, I can't see him unless he lets me, and he doesn't show up on my scanner!" Valerie looked at Phantom again. "I'm sure he was just doing his job and saving someone from an early death. Which is weird, since Grim Reapers are supposed to take lives, not save them."

"According to lore. But according to lore, ghosts don't age or give birth, and Box Ghost and Lunch Lady have a horrid little abomination." Phantom made a face. "I think we can throw away all the assumptions in this case, too."

"Probably a good idea." Valerie nodded. "Are you going to stick around?"

"No, I'm getting out of here before he messes with me again." Phantom shook his head. "You have fun with his mind-games, I get enough from Clockwork!" He flew off, going invisible as he went.

Valerie watched the scanner until he'd left the area. Sighing, she flew back to her home. If he really WAS back in the area, then he might be there at his old room finally.

When she arrived, she headed up to Danny's room and removed her uniform, sighing as she opened the door. "…Danny? Are you here?"

"Hey, Valerie."

Valerie looked around and spotted him kneeling next to one of the models lying on the floor, one of his gloves hands lingering over it tentatively. She walked over and knelt next to him. "So…what did he say?"

"I can touch material objects and show myself only to you and Phantom for one week, and then I have to behave and not show myself again." Danny replied.

"What does that mean?" Valerie asked.

"It means that, for one week, I can put aside my Grim Reaper duties and…act human. Or ghost. Whichever." He reached up and gripped his hood, hesitating at first, and then pulled it down off his head slowly.

Valerie gasped, seeing his face finally. She had seen it recently in pictures from eight years ago, but to see that he really hadn't changed at all, in all those years… "Y-You're still…14?"

"Unlike humans…and ghosts…Grim Reapers don't grow at all past the age we died at." Danny explained. "Clockwork just has one condition for this week-long visit: You must never tell anyone about meeting me again. You told your father about our previous meetings, but Clockwork said that he can't have humans knowing about Grim Reapers and so is letting your father think that you dreamed it, or voiced wishful thinking."

Valerie nodded. "Well…that is true. He didn't believe me."

"Phantom, likewise, can't tell anyone of meeting me. But…Clockwork doubts he'll tell anyone anyway." Danny closed his eyes. "How could he have fallen so far…I'd say it's Plasmius' doing, but it was Phantom that attacked us."

Valerie pursed her lips. "Danny…Phantom was saying that you two were…"

"Yes. We were, at one point, one person." Danny nodded. "But, that's in the past now. With me a Grim Reaper and, y'know, dead…we can't exactly merge into a half-ghost again."

Valerie nodded. "Hey, can you stand up? I want a better look at you."

He nodded, getting up. He wasn't wearing the large cloak anymore, instead dressed in a black hooded shirt with a silver sash tied around the waist over his black pants and boots. At his chest rested a purple hourglass with something green in it. "What's that?" She asked.

Danny fingered it, glancing away. "Uhm…it's connected to my job. I don't know how to explain it, but it basically measures time until death of the person I'm assigned to. Right now, it's not connected to anyone. I'm off-duty."

She nodded. "So, why the purple glow?" She asked, noticing that the faint glow around his body wasn't white or blue or even green like other ghosts.

"'Cause I'm a Grim Reaper?" He shrugged. "Normally you can't see it, 'cause of the cloak. Actually, I'm not s'pposed to show myself to the living while working, but when walking people down at the end it conceals the glow."

"Walking people down?" Valerie blinked.

"When your time comes, you'll know what I mean. That's all I can say about Reaper stuff." He moved his gloved hand over his mouth in a zipping motion.

"Okay, but one more question. Did you throw that sign earlier?" She asked.

He looked down to the side. "That was my last job before I went off-duty. Saving someone from death before it was their time."

She nodded. "Can you still go invisible?"

He nodded. "Like I said, at the moment I'm living as a regular ol' ghost, so I can use invisibility and intangibility and other ghost stuff, but none of my Reaper abilities."

Valerie nodded and went to the bedside table, picking up the letter. "Do you want to read it now?"

He nodded quickly, walking over and taking it from her offered hand. "Thank you." He opened it, looking at the contents.

Valerie smiled, looking out the window. Somewhere, Phantom was hiding away just out of her scanner's reach. Hopefully he wouldn't hurt Danny during the week-long visit he'd been allowed.

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, look! Clockwork not only let him read the letter, he also let him hang out for a week! How nice!<br>...What did you have to do to get him to allow all that, Danny? Should we be concerned?  
>Wonder how Phantom is gonna take it? ~ Zone<br>**


	6. VI

**So, last we saw, Clockwork let Danny stick around for a week, if he never showed himself again. What a nice guy! How will Danny and Valerie and Phantom spend their week together? ~ Zone  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>VI<span>**

Phantom hadn't shown his face since the signboard incident, and so Valerie and Danny were left with only each other to talk to for the first day. The park was pretty deserted in the wake of recent attacks, so he flew alongside her so they could spend a bit of time out of the house.

"So, I have a question." Valerie said, looking at him.

"Does it have to do to with Grim Reapers?" He asked.

"Sort of. Did you pick the black and silver color-scheme, or is it mandatory?" She gestured to his clothes.

"Oh. Well, the silver sash is my own choice, but otherwise it's all black and not-too-flashy colors." Danny nodded. You won't find a Grim Reaper wearing rainbow, that's for sure."

"You mentioned not being able to touch material objects unless it's connected to your job, so does that mean you have to touch them from time to time?" Valerie continued.

"Human bodies count as material objects. When I shoved you and Phantom out of the way of each other last month, that was part of the job." Danny pouted. "Now, no more questions about my job."

"Okay, how about questions about your daily life outside of work?" Valerie asked. "Do you have a daily life?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Unlike ghosts, Grim Reapers actually get hungry and stuff. We're pretty close to human, but we're definitely not. There's a city, but ghosts and humans can't get to it – only the Reapers can. And we have our own stuff, so we don't have to take from the human world at all."

"Where do you get this stuff? Play any video games anymore?" Valerie asked.

"Clockwork supplies it. As for video games…" He sighed. "My days consist of eating, sleeping, working, and occasionally hanging out with people. I've got my own place, but by the time I finish work and get back to it, I'm exhausted. Some of my work days can go pretty dang long." He made a face.

"Haha, you're working full-time, then?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, and my boss is kind of…" He faltered, glancing around nervously. "Well, he's always watching so I'm not gonna risk pissing him off any more than I already have."

"Your boss?" Valerie asked.

"Clockwork." Danny nodded.

"Phantom mentioned him, too. Who is Clockwork?" Valerie asked.

"He's the Master of Time. He takes care of life, death, and making sure people don't muck up the timeline." Danny shrugged. "I guess he and Phantom don't get on, since Phantom has been causing all sorts of trouble. I just do as I'm told and make sure people don't die before their prearranged time, or make sure that they do die when they're meant to."

"Sounds like a sucky job." Valerie grimaced.

"You get used to it. After the first three dozen, you just see it as a job and try to detach yourself." Danny said, sighing.

"Was it…hard, at first?" Valerie asked as they set down in the park.

Danny nodded. "Seeing all those lives, all those people dying…it was painful. I had nightmares for the first month, but they kept saying that the nightmares would stop in time and they did. I just adapted, I guess."

Valerie nodded.

"Has it been hard on you?" Danny suddenly asked, walking over to a bench and sitting down. "Fighting Phantom all this time?"

She sighed, walking over to sit next to him. "It's been…pretty stressful, yeah."

"Sorry." He looked down. "Because of me…"

Valerie shook her head. "No, he was stressful even before he lost it."

"Gee, thanks." Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's true!" Valerie huffed. "You stressed out both me and my dad with your superhero stuff always getting his work involved!"

"Sorry." Danny looked away.

Valerie glared a bit longer, then chuckled a bit. "But…you saved our lives so many times. That time when Phantom went to fight Pariah Dark…that was when you were one, wasn't it?"

Danny nodded. "I didn't want anyone else to be hurt. Even I had trouble with the suit taking my life-force, but if it was one of you guys…" He looked down. "You would've died."

Valerie reached up and carefully put a hand on his shoulder, testing the waters, before she pulled him into her arms. "You always risked yourself…and we just shot at you in return. What kind of people were we?"

"Only human." Danny replied softly, returning the hug. "Born to make mistakes."

**.**

Phantom watched the pair silently as they strolled around the vacant park. Danny had his hood down, exposing his face to Valerie, and they seemed to be happily talking and even laughing. He frowned and turned invisible, following behind them.

And then that stupid scanner went off, and Valerie had her gun out, pointing it behind them. "I know you're there, ghost!"

"Maybe you shouldn't call him that. Or pull out your gun. Can't you two try to get along this week? Please? For me?" Danny pleaded, placing his gloved hand on her gun.

"You're asking too much of her, kid." Phantom said, becoming visible. "Valerie can barely tolerate me for a few days, what makes you think she'll tolerate me for a week?" He looked at him. "…And how the hell are you even here?"

Danny glanced away. "Clockwork sent me to do work here, but because I asked he's letting me take the week off and hang out. Though, only you two can see me and you can never tell anyone about seeing me."

"Pft. You say that like I have someone to tell." Phantom crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Or haven't you noticed that everyone hates my guts?"

"Maybe if you hadn't gone off the deep end—" Danny cut himself off, holding up a hand. "No. No conflict. I'm not here to argue with you."

"Then why ARE you here?" Phantom snapped. "To mess with my mind?"

"No, Phantom! I'm here to try to spend one last week with you before I go back to reaping the dead unseen for the rest of my afterlife!" Danny snapped. "Clockwork was kind enough to allow me that, because I honestly didn't LIKE not being able to talk to you, or read your letter, or do _any _of this!"

Phantom and Valerie were silent, as Danny glared at the ghost before him. Finally, Phantom spoke. "What did you mean…'reaping the dead'?"

"Clockwork governs life and death. When it's time for someone to die, he sends Grim Reapers to reap the dead." Danny said simply. "But I didn't come here to talk about my job." He stepped forward. "I came here because…I wanted to…" He looked on the verge of tears and then he was running forward, throwing his arms around Phantom's waist, his face buried in his broad chest.

Phantom blinked in surprise and awkwardly put his arms around the young Reaper. "…I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so mean. I bet Clockwork put you through _hell _to allow this and I'm being just…terrible."

Danny clung to him, nodding.

Valerie watched them silently, not sure what to do and not wanting to interrupt. The two that had before been one person were finally together again after eight years…and it was only for a week. It was bittersweet, and kind of cruel, really.

Maybe the worst part was not being able to tell anyone that she had met Danny Fenton again after eight years. Though, really, who would she tell? Who actually cared enough about him in life? Dash and Star would call her crazy. Paulina had died three years ago – maybe reaped by Danny, for all she knew. Kwan was….still receiving treatment after being overshadowed by Phantom that one time and forced to do things he normally wouldn't.

Though, of all of the four she'd just thought of, Kwan would be the only one to be excited about seeing Danny Fenton again.

Finally, the two broke apart and Danny stepped back, looking to the side awkwardly like he normally did after showing displays of affection. He even started rubbing the back of his neck. Valerie decided she would have to break the silence sometime.

"Do you guys wanna get some ice-cream? I can buy it, and bring it out to you. Say that I've got a couple friends waiting." She suggested.

"Ice-cream?" Phantom blinked. "Of all the things you could suggest, it's ice-cream?"

"Actually…yeah. Yeah, I think I will." Danny nodded. "The food in the Grim Realm, Reaper Zone, whatever you wanna call it…it's not quite the same as human food."

Phantom looked at Danny and shrugged. "Okay, then. Let's have some ice-cream."

**.**

"One chocolate, one vanilla, and one swirl." Valerie said to the man at the counter.

"What sizes?" He asked.

"I think just small, we don't want it all melting before we finish it and it's a pretty warm day." Valerie nodded, brushing her curls over her shoulder.

She had removed her battle-suit for the remainder of the day, though she always had it on her to change at the push of a button. After the ice-cream was done, she took it in the to-go container and headed out to join the two that were waiting outside for her.

"This is still weird." Phantom said when she joined them in the grove they'd been hiding in. "Us three…just talking like this."

"And eating ice-cream." Danny said, reaching into his sleeve and pulling off one of his black gloves, doing the same with the other. Then he rolled up his sleeves, obviously not wanting to get his clothes dirty.

"Don't you have any t-shirts?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

"It's long-sleeved tunics or shirts like this. What can I say, Clockwork chose the fashion." Danny said as he took the swirl from the to-go tray.

"Does he also dress like this?" Valerie asked curiously.

"Clockwork is dressed kind of medieval, but not." Phantom shrugged.

"Says the one in a bodysuit and cape." Valerie remarked.

"It's just Superman-esque." Danny pointed out as he licked his ice-cream and beamed. "He was a superhero at one point. But even Superman went evil once."

"I didn't really follow superhero books, to be honest." Valerie said as she grabbed her vanilla ice-cream. "Phantom, are you eating yours?"

"Yeah, yeah." He picked up the chocolate, licking the tip off the top with his forked tongue. "This is still weird."

Valerie shrugged, then glanced at Danny. "…Your arms have scars on them. Is that from when…?" She glanced at Phantom.

"Nah, the scars are from my own stuff. I guess you never noticed 'cause you were too busy looking at my face. There's more on my chest and back. Being half-ghost Danny Phantom didn't make me invincible." Danny said as he continued to lick his ice-cream.

"Well, you did—do—have very nice eyes." Valerie said, then quickly got distracted by her ice-cream again.

"Oh, brother." Phantom mumbled before wrapping his long, forked tongue around his ice-cream and pulling it into his mouth.

Danny looked at his ice-cream, his cheeks pink, and then continued to lick it.

"Why the hell are they pink?" Phantom mumbled.

"Huh?" Danny looked at him.

"Your cheeks. Why are they pink and not green?" Phantom said, looking at him.

"Oh. Uhm…Grim Reapers are more like humans than ghosts. We don't have ectoplasm; we have something more akin to blood in our bodies." Danny explained. "It's kind of a silvery-reddish color – at least, that's what I've heard. I've never actually seen a Grim Reaper bleed."

"What can harm a Grim Reaper?" Phantom asked.

Danny shrugged. "I guess really powerful ghosts. Don't know if there any human item that can. Blood blossoms have no effect on us."

"Lucky." Phantom huffed.

"Blood what?" Valerie blinked.

"Never mind." They both said quickly. For a moment, they'd forgotten that Valerie was a ghost hunter. Telling her of a powerful weapon that could be used against ghosts that could be grown in her backyard? Not such a good idea.

"Okay." Valerie shrugged. "I'm almost done with my ice-cream, what do you want to do after this?"

"Gee, I dunno. Maybe you can buy a ticket to the movies and we can tag along invisible. Oh wait, ghost sensors. That might work for _you_ and _Danny_, but _I_ wouldn't be allowed in." Phantom said sarcastically.

"Okay, Mr. Sarcastic." Valerie rolled her eyes. "I get it. We have very limited options."

"Damn straight, we do." Phantom huffed.

"Speaking of limited options…" Danny looked at his empty cone thoughtfully. "I'm gonna need a place to stay during my trip here. I can't go home until the week is up."

"Ouch." Valerie frowned. "Well, I'd offer you to stay with me, in your old room, but my dad would notice you around. Even invisible, he'd notice you doing stuff and freak out."

Phantom sighed. "Fine. You can stay with me, Danny."

"You have a place?" Valerie blinked.

"Pft. Not any place a _human_ would live anymore, but it works for me. Can't promise there'll be food, but I can steal that easy enough. And there's a bed." Phantom wrapped his tongue around his own cone and took it into his mouth, chewing it down and swallowing it.

"Er, that still had paper on it." Danny commented.

"So? Ghosts don't have to worry about indigestion." Phantom licked his lips. "Want me to eat yours, too?"

"No." Danny started to strip off the paper, nibbling on the cone. "So, I guess I could stay with you, yeah."

Phantom nodded. "Bed's in pretty good condition, though I hope you don't mind the temperature. The heating's broken."

"Where is this place, anyway?" Valerie asked.

"You know that area in town where ghost portals kept opening up and people just started moving out of it to escape being attacked or haunted in their own homes? The one that no one even bothers maintaining anymore, and only the desperate broke and homeless go anymore? Around that area." Phantom made a vague motion. "I'm not telling you exactly where, though, or I'll have to move."

"Do you think I'm so dishonorable I'll attack you in your bed?" Valerie raised an eyebrow, putting her free hand on her hip.

"I would." Phantom smirked.

"Then, why haven't you?" Danny asked.

Phantom and Valerie looked at him, blinking. Come to think of it…why HADN'T Phantom attacked her yet? She had expected him to at least come for the letter, but he seemed to have completely left the Fenton home alone all these eight years.

He didn't reply to that, just stood up and said, "C'mon, kid. I'll take you home. We can play with Valerie tomorrow."

"What? Already? It's only 4pm!" Danny frowned.

"And I need time to steal you some dinner, so let's go." Phantom held out a hand.

Danny sighed, licking ice-cream off his fingers and wiping saliva off on his pants. Then he pulled his gloves back on and rolled his sleeves down. "Okay, okay. Phantom is feeling uncomfortable and wants to get away from Valerie, I see how it is."

"I will swat you." Phantom raised an eyebrow. "I could also change my mind and make you sleep on a park bench."

"I'm coming!" Danny got up, then turned to Valerie and threw his arms around her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Val. Promise."

Valerie smiled and returned the hug, then ruffled his hair. "Sleep well, Danny. Try not to go insane in his company."

"I spent a whole year with him before I died." Danny smiled, shaking his head. "My sanity will remain intact."

"Let's go!" Phantom called, already walking off.

"Okay, bye!" Danny ran after him, the two of them going invisible as they jumped up and flew away from Valerie.

* * *

><p><strong>See, this is why you don't ask Phantom questions that make him uncomfortable. He gets all moody and takes off early.<br>Danny's gonna be living in Phantom's place all week, wonder how that will go?  
>And how long is Phantom gonna call him "kid"? ~ Zone<br>**


	7. VII

**Welp, Danny has been taken away from Valerie for the rest of the night and is stuck living with Phantom again. Let's see how well this goes! ~ Zone  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>VII<span>**

"Wait here, I'll be back with your dinner." Phantom said after letting him into the old damaged apartment.

"Yeah." Danny nodded, walking over and sitting on the bed. It looked to be the only intact piece of furniture in the place, and he couldn't shake the feeling of having just stepped into the West Wing in _Beauty and the Beast_. Phantom nodded and closed the door, leaving him alone.

After leaving him, Phantom quickly went invisible and sped off to put distance between him and Danny. Eight years had passed, but he didn't look like he'd aged a day since Phantom had ripped out his heart and watched the life leave his eyes. It was pure torture to look at him for long, and he was finding himself torn between wanting to hold him and wanting to strangle him.

He flew over the city until he reached a store and then went intangible, grabbing a basket and turning it invisible before he started flying around the store collecting various non-perishables for Danny to eat, each item turning invisible as he touched them and going into the basket.

**.**

"Phantom, most of this is junk food." Danny remarked, pulling out a bag of chips and a bottle of soda.

"It doesn't need to be kept at any certain temperature." Phantom said defensively. "I thought you loved junk food?"

"I do, but…" Danny chuckled. "There's some real food you coulda' got, too."

"If you're gonna complain, then you can steal your own food. Don't know why you even need it." Phantom huffed, grabbing a bag of chips and opening it, furiously shoving a couple into his mouth.

Danny chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. Thanks, Phantom." He smiled, picking up a sandwich, one of the few non-junk items in there.

Phantom glanced at him, then glanced away. "Pfh. Don't know how you can smile like that around your murderer."

"I've had eight years to learn to forgive. Both you and myself." Danny said as he pulled out a bottle of pop and started to open it.

"Uh, Danny? You might want to open that a little slo—" Phantom cringed and went intangible to avoid the resulting mess as the pop exploded in Danny's face and all over his shirt and face. "Slower. It shook a lot while I flew, y'know."

"…Right." Danny put the lid back on and looked at Phantom. "…Uhm…is there a working shower?"

"Yeah, amazingly. I guess they figure hobos need a place to clean up around here and haven't shut it off." Phantom shrugged.

"Okay." Danny nodded, putting the bottle back in the basket and getting up, pulling off his shirt. "I'm going to take a shower."

Phantom glanced at him. "…Though, last time I messed with it, I found a ghost living inside the pipes."

"Well, then what do you suggest?" Danny asked, looking at him.

Phantom glanced at him. "Well…I could lick you clean." He suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah, okay. And I'll just call you 'Cujo', huh?" Danny rolled his eyes. "Your saliva will not make me any cleaner, Phantom."

"Worth a shot!" Phantom grinned and got into a crouching postion.

"Oh no. No, this is not going to happen. No!" Danny ducked to the side as Phantom pounced at him, yelping as his arm was caught. "Hey, leggo!"

"You need a bath!" Phantom laughed as he licked his arm.

"Nooo, this is gross! Let go! I'll take my chances with the shower ghost!" Danny squirmed away, going intangible to escape his hand and looking around for the bathroom.

Phantom had almost forgotten that Danny had ghost powers too. He grinned and went intangible, flying out into the hall of the apartment to find him looking around for the bathroom. Turning invisible and tangible, he crept up and wrapped his arms around his middle, licking up his back at his did.

"Guah! Not cool!" Danny turned intangible, but that didn't work as Phantom did the same and he had no choice but to try to shove him off as Phantom continued to lick up the sticky soda residue. "No, bad Cujo! Get off!"

"Pft, you _actually_ called me 'Cujo'?" Phantom laughed, turning visible and grinning up at him.

"Duh, look at you! Stop licking me, that's gross!" Danny tried to squirm away, but he just ended up skidding on the floor and falling with Phantom on top of him. "Guh! Let go, Phantom! I mean it!" He pushed his hand against Phantom's face.

Phantom chuckled and then gripped his hand, looking down at him. "Not likely, Fenton. You're stuck with me all week."

Danny huffed, pouting up at him. Phantom smirked and licked up his face, making him go "Gah!" and wipe at his face with his free hand. "Stop it, Phantom!"

Phantom held his hand tightly, then leaned down to rest his head on Danny's bare chest, slowly closing his eyes. "I can hear it…" He murmured.

"Hear what?" Danny asked, touching Phantom's hair with his free hand and wondering why it wasn't setting the place and Danny on fire. He figured it was weird ghost-stuff, like Ember.

"Your heart. I can hear it beating." Phantom said, moving his other hand to rest on Danny's back underneath him as his hand that was gripping Danny's moved to lace his fingers with Danny's smaller ones. "It's just like…before it all happened. Before the Nasty Burger…everything."

Danny sighed softly, moving his hand from Phantom's hair to rest on his wide back. Eight years had changed Phantom so much, in more than just his fabulous fire hair. "I miss your old hair…" Danny mumbled.

Phantom looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want me to change it back?"

"Can you?" Danny blinked.

"I can change my form, kid. Changing my hair is gonna be child's-play." He closed his eyes and Danny watched as the fires settled down and changed into strands of long, white hair tied back in a ponytail. "See?" He grinned, opening his eyes.

"Can you change your eyes?" Danny asked.

"Eh, can't do that. That's a lot harder than the hair." Phantom shrugged.

"Phooey." Danny pouted. "I miss your green eyes."

"I'm not going to change everything just because you 'miss it'." Phantom shook his head and then got up, pulling Danny up with him. "Playing pretend isn't something I can do, sorry."

"Okay." Danny sighed. "I'm…gonna go shower now. Can you let go?"

Phantom pursed his lips, considering on if he actually wanted to risk letting him go. What if he disappeared again? What if Clockwork changed his mind? He held on tighter, staring down at Danny intensely.

"Ow, that hurts!" Danny whined. "Phantom, you're hurting me!"

Surprised, Phantom released him and glanced to the side. "…Sorry. I'll be in the bedroom." He walked off, leaving Danny alone.

**.**

Danny sighed and went to the bathroom. He turned on the water and then the shower, seeing if any ghost came out. When none did, he decided Phantom was just messing with him and started to undress the rest of the way, taking off his gloves, boots, pants and boxers before he got in and started to wash himself off.

Of course there was no soap, he hadn't expected any, but the water did the trick of cleaning him up just by itself. As he showered, he reflected on how the ice-cream, the pop, the chips – heck, even the water were different than in Grim Zone. Imitations of life…just like himself. He looked at his purple aura that surrounded his body and wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes. Even if he appeared alive, he knew that he wasn't. He couldn't fool himself, not surrounded by all this…REAL stuff.

After his shower, he dressed and walked out to the bedroom. Phantom was lying down on the bed, lazily nibbling on a chip. When he saw him come out he gave a small wave before staring blankly at the wall again. Looking over, Danny saw a damaged TV.

"So…what's on?" He asked, walking over to sit on the bed next to him.

"Eh, cracks and holes." Phantom stretched. "Not much different from outside, really."

"Oh." Danny walked over and sat on the bed, starting to unwrap his sandwich.

Phantom watched him silently, his eyes tracing the lines of the Reaper's bare back. If it wasn't for that glow, he could almost convince himself that Danny was human, that he had never died. Hell, he even had a HEARTBEAT! That was just UNFAIR!

He moved on the bed, creeping over to Danny, and wrapped his arms around him from behind. "You're not putting your shirt on?" He murmured.

"It needs to be washed. I'll do it later." Danny said as he nibbled on his sandwich.

"Mm." Phantom rested his chin on Danny's shoulder.

Danny glanced at him and turned a bit to look at his face. "It's so weird…seeing you with facial hair. I mean, it's like the fruitloop's."

Phantom chuckled. "What, you don't like my cheesehead goatee?"

"I dunno." Danny shrugged. "I just know it's a lot like Uncle Vlad's."

Phantom sighed softly, resting his head on Danny's shoulder. "Well, I like it. It makes me feel more…I dunno. Sophisticated?"

"Sophisticated? You? Pffff." Danny shook his head, leaning against his chest. "You're anything but."

"Hey, excuse me?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

"You use big words and fancy tricks, but you're not 'sophisticated'." Danny shrugged. "You never have been." He looked at him. "And merging with Plasmius, which is just ew, by the way…" He sighed and reached up to place a hand on his cheek. "It's not gonna change who you really are."

"No…I suppose not." Phantom closed his eyes. "But who am I, really? Am I your ghost form, or am I something else? Am I Danny Phantom, or am I just a shadow of who I was?" He held him tighter. "One week…isn't enough to change me, Danny. For your sake, I will give the world a break while you're here. But once you go, all bets are off and I'm back to destroying things again."

"Why?" Danny asked. "Why do it?"

"Why did they shoot at me?" Phantom asked. "Because I want to destroy them. They're ungrateful, heartless, and cruel." He moved a hand up, placing it over Danny's chest, over his beating heart. "But, none are so cruel as you…" He murmured. "You taunt me with hope of being complete again…just for one week."

"If I could be here longer, I would." Danny frowned. "Clockwork is the one who—"

"He plays with my mind, toys with me, and makes me crumble before him!" Phantom snapped. "Of course he would use this chance to do it again!"

"Phantom…" Danny reached up and took his hand in his. "I…I don't think he let me come back for a week just to toy with you. Maybe he was actually being nice?"

"Pft. As if Clockwork could be nice." Phantom rolled his eyes. "What, is he nice to you?"

"Well, no." Danny admitted. "He's actually kind of mean, and one time I was tardy for a whole week and he started coming over to wake me up in a creepy way and would watch me get ready and walk me to work so I wouldn't be late. That went on for two months before I finally stopped waking up late without his having to wake me."

"'A creepy way'?" Phantom smirked. "How so?"

"Er…uh…" Danny's face went pink. "He would…uh…well, he said that if I would going to act like Sleeping Beauty, he would assume that I need to be woken with…well…"

"A kiss?" Phantom asked jokingly. When Danny didn't reply, he frowned. "Wait…really? He _kissed_ you?!"

Danny glanced away. "Yeah…"

"Every morning? For _two months_?!" Phantom turned him to face him fully.

"Uhm…yes?" Danny squirmed a bit. "Can we…get off this subject?"

"That creep!" Phantom frowned. "I have to cleanse you, that guy is the worst guy to kiss!"

"I wouldn't say the _worst_…kissing Vlad would be worse." Danny said with a tiny shrug. "And how would you 'clea'—nn?!" His eyes widened as Phantom suddenly pulled him closer, pressing his lips against his.

Phantom broke the kiss after a bit, looking into Danny's wide eyes. "He kissed you every morning for two months, right? So, two months is 31 days times 2, which is 62 days." He nodded firmly. "Okay. I can do that."

"Do what?" Danny blinked.

"I'm going to kiss you as many times as he kissed you." Phantom said, nodding firmly. "We have to get his gross Clockwork touch off of you!"

"Wait…what?!" Danny went intangible, phasing through Phantom's arms and falling off the bed as he moved back. "62 kisses?! Are you for real?!"

Phantom looked over the edge of the bed at him. "Yes. I'm being very real here." He said seriously.

"Guh! I shouldn't have told you!" Danny groaned, shaking his head. "62 kisses all week, that's…uhm…" He pursed his lips.

"About eight kisses a day." Phantom put in for him helpfully.

"What if Valerie sees?!" Danny groaned.

"Well, we can kiss when she's not looking." Phantom shrugged.

"You are messed up, Phantom!" Danny slowly got up, shaking his head. "Messed up!"

"No, the one who is messed up is the one who took two months to stop being late and so let Clockwork kiss him that many times. You secretly liked it, didn't you?" Phantom challenged.

"No, ew! Clockwork is my BOSS, do you know how awkward that would be?!" Danny shook his head. "This is just wroooooong!"

"Aw, shut up and come here for another kiss." Phantom grinned. "We have to get seven more in before we go to bed tonight!" He grabbed Danny's hand before he could become intangible and pulled him close to kiss him again.

"Guh, fine! On one condition!" Danny held up a hand between them. "No tongue! Absolutely NO tongue!"

"Is that the _only_ condition?" Phantom asked slyly.

"What _else_ would you kiss me with?!" Danny frowned.

Phantom just chuckled and kissed him again. "Alright. No tongue." He promised.

* * *

><p><strong>Welp. That just happened. Phantom knows math! XD<br>Do you guys think I should increase the rating? It IS just kisses...  
>Clockwork can be pretty sly sometimes. *giggles* ~ Zone<br>**


	8. VIII

**I realized a bit of an inconsistency with my other related story, "Truce". In that one, Paulina had only died a year ago, and it was four years in. So she died three years in, and five years before this story. This is relevant. ~ Zone  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>VIII<span>**

_Ticking…images flashing…_

_"__You're the Grim Reaper aren't you? You're Death! So just bring me back to life! I'm not going to die yet!"_

_"__I can't…I can't do anything. I'm sorry."_

_"__Oh, you're sorry? Give me that scythe! I'll show you how 'sorry' you REALLY are!"_

_"__I didn't decide when you would die, Time did! I just picked up your soul! Sir, please let go of me!"_

_"__Do you know what it feels like to die too soon?! DO YOU?!"_

_"__Yes, actually! I'm only fourteen!"_

_"…__Damn. I guess you do know."_

Danny tossed and turned in his sleep, stirring the larger male lying next to him from his brief nap. Phantom frowned and gently reached up a gloved hand to wipe one of Danny's tears with his thumb. "What are you dreaming about, I wonder?" He mumbled, wrapping his arms around him and gently cradling him in a rocking motion. "Should I wake you?"

"Nn….mm…" Danny started to stir from the movement and slowly opened his eyes, looking up at him. "Phantom…?"

"Did I wake you?" He asked, smiling. "Looked like a bad dream. What was it about?"

"My job." Danny admitted. "I thought I was done with the nightmares, but I've had some pretty scary…uhm…'customers' these past eight years."

"Scarier than the ones at the Nasty Burger?" Phantom asked jokingly.

"I've never witnessed anyone getting food at the Nasty Burger threatening the servers with bodily harm." Danny said with a serious expression.

"Whoa, hardcore." Phantom grinned.

Danny shook his head and relaxed against him. "Anyways, thanks for waking me up. What time is it?"

"Past midnight. Can I get a kiss?" Phantom grinned at him.

"You're seriously going to get eight kisses from me a day?" Danny sighed. "Come on, Phantom."

"Oh, I see how it is. You'll kiss Clockwork 62 times, but not me?" Phantom mock-pouted. "I knew it, you like him."

"You're being a brat!" Danny swatted at him.

Phantom laughed. "It's 3am, since you wanted to know. Wanna go get some early breakfast?"

"3am is WAY too early to be up." Danny shook his head, resting his head on Phantom's chest. "Maybe in a couple hours."

"How early do you wake up for your Reaper job?" Phantom asked.

"Uhm…usually around 7am." Danny yawned. "I have to be in to work at 9am, so that gives me time to wake up, eat, shower, change, and walk to work."

"Walk? Not fly?" Phantom smirked.

"Fun fact about Grim Reapers: We can't actually use our ghostly powers in Grim Zone." Danny admitted. "We're just like humans there, no phasing through stuff and no flying around."

"Boring." Phantom frowned. "How can you stand it?"

"Eh, it's not SO bad. Y'know, having been a human for thirteen years before getting my powers, it wasn't such a shocking change. And I can use my powers to fly around and stuff while at work, so it's not like I miss it." Danny shrugged. "What time does Valerie usually wake up?"

"Do I look like her timekeeper?" Phantom raised an eyebrow. "I usually cause mayhem around midday, so that's when I see her."

"Is that all you guys do? Shoot each other?" Danny asked. "You mentioned her not being able to stand you for a few days before…"

"Ugh. There's this stupid Christmas Truce thing that every ghost has to obey." Phantom rolled his eyes. "Since the other ghosts hate my guts, both for the whole superhero thing and my recent crap, I didn't have anyone to hang out with and we randomly decided to hang out for the days of the Christmas Truce instead of trying to kill each other."

"Heh, sounds like fun." Danny grinned. "Shame I missed seeing it."

"Pft. Oh yeah, that reminds me." He reached an intangible hand through the bed and pulled out a red and white scarf. "This is supposed to be yours."

Danny looked at it, then shook his head. "Keep it. I can't take real world items back to Grim Zone with me. It'd burn up in the portal."

"Is that what happened to your fashion sense?" Phantom smirked, putting the scarf back in its hiding place.

"My old clothes…are all I have left from it, because I was wearing it when I died. But, I'm not allowed to wear them. I just keep them, for memories."

"Memories." Phantom nodded. "That's all you have, huh?"

"It's all I can keep." Danny looked towards the cracked window.

"So, Grim Reapers don't celebrate holidays?" Phantom asked.

"Not really. I mean, Clockwork will hold a small party for us for Christmas, but otherwise it's business as usual. People are dying every day of the year." Danny closed his eyes, sighing. "Kind of depressing."

Phantom looked at him thoughtfully, then leaned in and kissed him lightly. "There, that's one for today." He grinned. "Don't think such gloomy thoughts. We're all getting along this week, remember?"

Danny blushed, glancing away. "Yeah…don't just do that so suddenly!"

"It distracted you, didn't it?" Phantom shrugged.

Danny brought his hands to his face. "Guaaaaaah!"

.

"Morning, you two!" Valerie greeted as she entered the park. "Thought I'd find you here!"

"Morning, Val." Danny greeted.

"Hello, Huntress." Phantom nodded, leaning back on the bench. Danny was leaning against him, sitting sort of sideways on the bench.

"Thought I'd pick up Danny some legally-gained food." Valerie reached in her bag and handed Danny some hot to-go food. "Breakfast sandwiches sound good?"

"Oh yeah." Danny pulled one out and unwrapped it. "Phantom got me a bunch of junk food and pop and maybe one or two sandwiches."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "It was what I could grab. So sorry I don't have any money."

Valerie grinned. "Well, maybe you should leave feeding him to me, then!"

"Pfh. As if." Phantom stretched and sat up a bit, now that Danny wasn't leaning against him. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"Well, if someone would change to his human disguise, then we could go to the mall or a movie." Valerie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Human disguise?" Danny looked at him.

"…That's only for the Truce, though…" Phantom glanced away.

"Isn't THIS a 'truce'?" Valerie put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, fine. Wait here with her, Danny." Phantom got up and went invisible, flying off back to his apartment.

"He has a human disguise?" Danny asked.

Valerie smiled and sat next to him. "So…can I ask a question, Danny?"

"Sure, what about?" Danny asked.

"When Paulina…well, when she died…were you the one to take her?" Valerie asked.

Danny glanced away. Would he get in trouble for telling her? Well, it couldn't hurt… "…Yeah. She still recognized my voice, after three years of my being dead. I still can't believe what happened to her…"

Valerie nodded. "Neither can the rest of us. I guess that was when we realized Phantom was…different."

"She chose to move on, if you were wondering." Danny said softly. "So, she's gonna be starting anew, somewhere else."

"That's good. I'd hate to see her as a ghost." Valerie smiled a bit.

Danny nodded. "Let's talk about something else. How's your dad doing? I…saw what happened to his arm and eye. Did Phantom do that?"

"No, that was the result of Axiom Labs exploding. He risked his life making sure everyone got out of there." Valerie sighed. "And that was another ghost's fault. Maybe if Danny Phantom had been there to stop the ghost, it wouldn't have exploded. I never realized how much you helped us out."

Danny nodded, sighing. "I guess no one did, until I was gone."

"Why did you leave?" Valerie asked.

"…I caused the death of my family, friends, and teacher." Danny looked down.

"How?" Valerie blinked.

"…I used my ghost powers to steal the CAT answer sheet and cheated on the test. Lancer figured out I'd cheated somehow and was going to have a talk with my family and me about my inevitable future at the Nasty Burger. Sam and Tucker came to warn us that it was going to blow…and then I never saw them again. The Nasty Burger exploded and everyone inside died. I was thrown back from the blast, the closest to the door, and all I could do was scream as it exploded." Danny wiped at his eyes, sobbing. "I killed my family and friends, Valerie! I killed them!"

Valerie's eyes widened and she gently wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Danny…"

"Am I interrupting?" A voice caught their attention and Danny looked up to see a raven-haired man with green eyes dressed in black jeans, white shirt, and black leather jacket stood before them.

"…Phantom?" Danny breathed.

"Call me 'Dan'." Phantom grinned.

Valerie looked at the two of them and realized something she hadn't before: Phantom's human disguise looked like an older Danny. How had she never noticed it? Maybe it was those green eyes that threw her off. Maybe the cheeky smile. But seeing them so close together…it was unmistakable.

"Damn, how did I not notice that before?" She muttered to herself.

"What?" Danny looked at her.

"You two…you don't notice it?" Valerie sighed. "He looks like you would, if you were his age."

"Really?" Danny looked at Phantom. "That's funny. I thought he'd look a bit different."

"Why would he?" Valerie asked.

"Uhm…I just thought he would, that's all." Danny said, shrugging. "So, where are we going?"

"Movies? Mall? Take your pick?" Phantom shrugged. "You're invisible to everyone but us, so it's not like anyone is gonna ask questions. And they've already seen us two together."

Danny shrugged. "What's on in the cinema?"

"Let's go watch a movie, then." Phantom nodded to Valerie.

She nodded, getting up. "I think there's a new Dead Teacher movie out. You like that franchise, right, Danny?"

"Yeah, but I'm way behind." Danny shrugged.

"Pft, what's there to know? It's a zombie teacher. Eek. Ahh. Run, chomp, die." Phantom shrugged. "The effects are so pathetic; I don't know why we ever liked it."

"Well, just because _your _standards in movies have risen, it doesn't mean that _mine _have." Danny frowned. "I mean, we don't have movies in Grim Zone. It's all plays and operas."

"Ew." Phantom made a face.

"Eh, it's not so bad. 'Cept for when you get randomly picked to perform." Danny shrugged. "It's like school, or summer camp. There's about 2000 Grim Reapers and we all have our turn on the stage at some point."

"Just 2000?" Valerie blinked.

"Yeah. Usually the jobs are done pretty quickly and we just move on to the next one before it's time to clock out." Danny shrugged.

"Talk about understaffed." Phantom remarked.

"Well, usually we don't get more than 2000 people dying in one day. And this is just in my sector, I think there are other Grim Reapers in another Zone but we don't talk to them. They deal with more high-profile stuff. I saw one once, he was talking to Clockwork, but when he looked at me I didn't see anything under his hood but a skeletal face." He shivered.

"Sounds more like what people would expect." Valerie remarked. "A lot less personable, I bet."

"Anyways, let's go see that movie." Danny said, wanting to change the subject.

"Alright." Valerie smiled and walked ahead of them, leading the way.

Phantom made sure she wasn't looking before he gripped Danny's chin and tilted it up, kissing him lightly before they walked on after her.

Danny blushed, pulling his hood up to hide it. Okay, so now he only had to be kissed five more times today.

* * *

><p><strong>That scarf, if you read "Truce", was the one Valerie made for Danny before she found out he was dead. Phantom still has it.<br>Whee, more information about Grim Zone! What's that? Noooo, I'm not using this to build up information for me to use for "Death Keepers", what're you talking about? *blinks innocently***  
><strong>And Phantom sneaks another kiss, in public! Really, Phantom!<strong>  
><strong>Is it just me, or does everyone like kissing Grim Danny? Should Valerie get a kiss in? XD How many commenters are gonna try to sneak a kiss?<br>I know that in TUE Valerie said that it was all Danny's fault, but we'll assume that instead of blaming Danny, she blamed Phantom's powers for tempting Danny into cheating. Either way, now Danny's told her what he did, sobsob. ~ Zone**


	9. IX

**Sorry that I've been taking so long to update anything! I've been busy with preparing for the baby! *flails around* Plus, I am HORRIBLE about procrastination, so thankfully I found a nifty site called HabitRPG that is just cute enough for me to actually use it to get things done. XD ~ Zone**

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><p><strong><span>IX<span>**

The movie was almost sold out when they arrived, with only two tickets. That suited Valerie and Phantom just fine, since Danny couldn't be seen or heard by anyone but them and so it didn't matter if he had a ticket or not. In fact, it was silly to get him a ticket, under the circumstances. They had thought that he was only supposed to hide from everyone, but when they encountered Dash at the movies he had looked right through Danny like he wasn't even there. Clockwork had made it so no one could see him, even if he wanted to be seen.

"I thought your friend only came by around Christmas?" Dash asked, surprised to see "Dan" with Valerie. "He decided to come sooner this year?"

"He was in the area. It's only for the week, though." Valerie sighed. "Which is more time than usual, actually." She looked at Phantom.

"Makes up for the usual three days." Phantom smirked, then glanced to the side as Danny moved forward, tentatively touching Dash's shoulder. The man shivered and brushed at his shoulder, but otherwise didn't react.

"We should head inside. We'll be late for our movie." Phantom added, gesturing inside. Valerie and Danny nodded and followed him.

"See you later, Dash." Valerie waved.

"Yeah." Dash nodded, waving as he went to his own movie.

They went into the theater and got food and drinks before heading for their movie. The room was packed, with not even one extra seat empty. Phantom took a seat next to Valerie and put his drink in the holder, tugging Danny down into his lap.

"Hey…" Danny protested as he was pulled down.

"What, can't see?" Phantom asked quietly, his lips practically against the younger male's ear.

"No, I just…it was sudden." Danny mumbled.

"Shh. Movie's starting." Valerie said, holding up a finger for them to be quiet.

Phantom smirked and wrapped an arm around Danny's waist. In the darkness, no one noticed the popcorn disappearing into thin air or the floating cup. Still, after a bit Phantom decided to take it upon himself to hold the drink up to him and offer the popcorn to Danny's lips. At one point Valerie was too distracted by the show to notice what they were doing and Phantom slipped in a piece of popcorn with a kiss.

The movie wasn't too interesting, but Danny liked it enough. Valerie and Phantom grew bored of it by the middle, but stayed for the rest because Danny was still into it. When it was over, Phantom nudged Danny off him so he could get up and grab the trash with the rest of the moving throng.

"Well, _that_ was an hour I'll never get back." Valerie remarked quietly as they left the cinema. "What do you want to do next?"

"Uhm…I don't really know, it'd be too noticeable for me to go the arcade…" Danny admitted.

"Well, are you content with just watch one of us play?" Valerie asked. "How did you usually spend your free time? Before the powers, I mean."

"Uhm…" Danny glanced away. "Mostly hanging out in my room after school, putting together models and getting what homework I could figure out done. Then I would go down to a meal with my family, hear them arguing about ghosts being real or not real, dodge a chicken brought to life by ectoplasm and hide in my room again while dad called take-out."

"How did you ever stand your life before I came along?" Phantom asked, chuckling.

Danny just pursed his lips and looked at Valerie. "So…what do you like doing lately?"

"I don't have much time for hobbies, thanks to _him_." She jabbed a thumb at Phantom.

"Not my fault you decided to single-handedly be the fighting force against me." Phantom hummed. "Even before we split, you were devoting your life to fighting me."

"You ruined my life." Valerie growled at him.

"Aaaaand we're back on that." Phantom rolled his eyes. "I told you it was an accident years ago!"

Danny looked a bit nervous. "Guys, let's stop fighting…we have six more days together, remember? Let's not fill it with fighting."

Phantom rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"What do YOU do when you're not terrorizing the city?" Valerie asked him.

"Licking my wounds from battles with you and lazing about under the stars just beyond your radar's reach." Phantom shrugged. "You know, boring stuff. The highlight of my day is seeing the barrel of your gun and hearing you proclaim you're going to kill me, my dear."

"Wow…we _all_ need to get a life." Danny remarked. "You guys need to find something to do in your day that doesn't involve fighting each other."

"Well, Dash and Star often drag me off to do something if he's not keeping me busy, and I check on Kwan a lot." Valerie shrugged.

"What happened to Kwan?" Danny frowned.

"_This guy_ overshadowed him and made him hurt a lot of people. He's going through therapy for it, but _he_ had been overshadowing him for weeks before we finally figured out what was up. It turns out that he doesn't show up on my scanner when overshadowing someone." She shot Phantom a glare. "Anyways, Kwan isn't in too good a shape. He's recovering, though."

"…I want to see him." Danny said softly.

Valerie looked at him. "…You sure?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah."

Valerie sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, if everyone agrees…?"

"I'll wait outside." Phantom pursed his lips. "I'm not going in that place, no way."

Valerie sighed. "We'll see you after we get out, then."

Phantom nodded. Danny tilted his head curiously at them, wondering what they were talking about.

**.**

"This is the place." Valerie said as she pulled up in front of a building. The sign said "Strigoi's Rehabilitation Centre", and the place looked overgrown with some kind of plant that Danny couldn't name at the moment. It was times like these that he missed Sam…

"Kwan is in here?" Danny asked, looking past the ghost shield that was protecting the building. He looked over his shoulder and saw Phantom leaning against a telephone pole, motioning for them to go in.

"Yeah." Valerie nodded, leading him inside. They passed through the barrier harmlessly and entered the building. A woman that looked far too cheery was seated behind a desk, typing away at a computer.

"Oh, Miss Gray!" She greeted with a Barbie-like smile. "You're here to see Mr. Yoshida again, I presume?"

Valerie nodded. "I know the way; you don't have to tell me."

"Of course. He'll be happy to see you, I'm sure." The woman said, nodding. Valerie turned and walked down the hallway, Danny flying alongside her as they passed room after room of moaning people.

"It sounds like the Ghost Zone in here…" Danny mumbled.

"Everyone in here is in rehab for a ghost encounter that left them…" Valerie pursed her lips. "Impaired."

"That explains the moaning." Danny nodded.

"This is the room." Valerie stopped in front of a room and opened it, looking in. "Kwan? You awake?"

Kwan was sitting in front of his window, facing away from them in a chair. When Valerie spoke up, he looked over his shoulder at her. "Valerie." He greeted. He sounded exhausted, his voice strained. "You're not alone this time."

"Huh?" Valerie blinked, looking to her left – where Danny was. "What do you mean, Kwan?"

Kwan turned his chair to them, smiling a bit. "Wow, it's been…eight years, hasn't it?"

"You can see me?" Danny breathed. Okay, so apparently Clockwork hadn't hidden him from _everyone_…

Kwan nodded. "I have…ghost-sight." He looked away. "A side-effect of being possessed by Phantom for months. I feel like I can function normally…but the doctors say otherwise. Part of me is wondering if they're just studying me."

Valerie closed the door and walked over to the bed to sit down. After a moment of hesitance, Danny followed and sat next to her.

"So…what actually happened, Fenton?" Kwan asked. "Masters…didn't tell us the details."

Danny sighed. "Long story. Really long, really complicated. Phantom killed me, after I had him…removed."

Kwan raised an eyebrow at him.

"Phantom and Danny were once the same person." Valerie explained. "I know, it weirded me out to find it out, too."

Kwan nodded, looking at Danny. "Don't suppose you'll explain how that happened?"

"A ghost portal opened up in my parents' lab, and I was in it when it opened." Danny shrugged. "But, that's old news. What happened to you, Kwan? What did Phantom do to you?"

"Well, after finding out that overshadowing someone can shield him from the scanners, he picked one of the scientists at Axiom Labs to overshadow and that guy just so happened to be me." Kwan sighed, rubbing his head. "You had that guy in your head for way longer than I did, how did you not go insane?"

"Well, he wasn't such a nutcase before I died…" Danny admitted.

Kwan nodded, thinking of how Danny Phantom used to be. "Well, he used my body to sabotage and steal things and even attacked people that tried to stop him."

"How did you get him out?" Danny asked.

"Valerie realized that the way I was acting wasn't like myself, and went in on her own, challenging him to a battle." Kwan sighed. "Since he never passes up a chance to battle Valerie, he left me and I was lying there dazed and out of it. I finally came to my senses a week later, and Valerie told me what happened and what he'd made me do, since I didn't remember it."

"Ah, yeah…side-effect of overshadowing…" Danny said, glancing away as he recalled overshadowing people to get out of trouble.

Kwan nodded. "Well, another side-effect is that he left me with the ability to see ghosts, even when they're invisible. And so people think I'm crazy, and haven't let me out of here yet."

Danny frowned. "That's not fair to you!"

"Yeah, well, talking to you right now likely isn't helping my case any." Kwan pointed out. "Maybe I'll be let out next year. Or someone could pull strings and get me out." He looked at Valerie.

Valerie sighed. "I'll contact Mr. Masters about it again."

Danny stood up. "I really hope you get out of here, Kwan. You look like you're miserable here."

"Hey, at least I'm alive." Kwan offered. "And death hasn't done any bad for you, it looks like."

"I'm stuck at 14. That's pretty bad." Danny said flatly, then laughed. "Nah, it's not so bad. Not unless I'm being teased, that is."

Kwan chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you have other things to do than talk to me. Was nice to see you after eight years, Danny."

"You too." Danny nodded. "Work has…kept me really busy."

"Work?" Kwan raised an eyebrow. "You work?"

"Yeah, I'm a Grim Reaper. Don't tell anyone, though." He was honestly wondering why Clockwork wasn't intervening in this conversation.

"And get another five years in this place? Your secret's safe, Danny." He assured him, smiling.

"Thanks." Danny got up. "We should get going. Maybe…someday, we'll meet again."

Valerie got up as well. "I'll get you out of here, Kwan. I promise." He said, nodding and going to the door.

Kwan waved as they headed out, the door shutting after them.

Danny watched him until the door shut, then looked at Valerie when she sighed. "Valerie?"

"I hope I can keep that promise." She mumbled, walking down the hall and out of the building.

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><p><strong>Kwan sees dead people. *spooky music plays* Man, Vlad, why don't you let him out of there? Seriously.<br>And Phantom, really? They're at a movie. You think you're so sneaky. XD ~ Zone**


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